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About Google Book Search Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web at |http: //books .google .com/I D.oiiiz.owGoogle i HISTORICAL DISCOURSE Fiftieth Anniversary COLBY UNIVEKSITT, AUGUST Sd. 1870. jy T.AjHAMPLIN, President WATBETILLE: PUBLISHED BT TOTE OF TBU8TEE3. 1870. D.gitizecbyG00glc JOVBIfAL STRAM I DaitizecbyGoO'^lc DISCOUKSE. What is now known as the Corporation of CoLBT Uni- TEHSITT was flrat established under the title of " The President and Trustees of the Maine Literary and Theolog- ical Institution," by an act of the Legislature of Massachu- setts, passed February 27th, 1813. Maine was then but a District of Massachusetts, sparsely inhabited, except at a few points on the coast and the priDcipal rivers, and chiefly- valued for its forests and fisheries. The corporation thus established was endowed by the Legislature with a township of land, to be selected Irom any of the unappropriated lands within the district, and was restricted in the location of its school to the said township — on the principle, it would seem, that ^rees were men, as, in the nature of the case, there could be no other inhabitants on unappropriated lands. The township selected lies on the west side of the Penob- scot Kver, some fifteen miles above the city of Bangor, now constituting the towns of Alton and Argyle. It proved an excellent territory for timber, and the Institution in process of time realized a very handsome sum fi-om it — snfBcient — thoi^h barely sufBcient — with tlie contributious of its, friends, and some further fud subsequently granted by tills State, to keep It from bankruptcy during its long and pain- fill novitiate. D.gitizecbyG00glc -1 But the very escelleuce of the township for timher unfitted it, of course, for the location of a school. Even common schools hiive not long been established in that township, much less could a theological school have been established there. The restriction was indeed a singular one, and one cauuot help suspecting that it was a cunning device to defeat the whole project, or at ieast, to secure in this case, as for- ' meriy, that if the voice of John the Baptist must be heard at all, it should be heard only "crying in the wilderness." The corporation, however, did not think so, and accordingly made haste to petition the Legislature to remove the restric- tion and allow them to locate their Institutiou in other paxts. Accordingly, in 1816, three years after the act estabUshing the corporation, they obtained of the Gleneral Court of Mas- sachusetts an additional act, allowing them to locate the school in any town within the counties of Somerset or Xennebec. This liberty having been obtained, the next thing was to dedde between the claims of the different towns, within these counties, desirous of obtaining the location of the Institution. Accordingly, at a meeting of the corporation in the year following the passage of the above-named act, they appointed a committee " to visit those towns which had used their efforts and given encoun^ement to have the InstttuUon located with them, viz. : Farmhigton, Bloomfield and Waterville, and report at the next meeting." This com- mittee report«d in favor of Bloomfield as the site, but for some reason not fiilly explained in the records, the Trustees voted to fix the location at Waterville. Possibly this aotion may have been in consequence of larger sums having been pledged by Waterville, than by the other towns. These, however, we should not consider at the present day any- tiiing very alarming. The town, as a corporation, pledged, but on account of legal oluections never paid, three thoa&- DaitizecbyGoO'^lc aod dollars, while the iDhabitante of the town and viciDtty subscribed two thonsand dollars for the benefit of the Instt- tutioD, in case it was established at WatervOle. This action was at the meeting of the Board in October, 1817. At the same meeting, a committee was appointed to purchase a plot of ground whereon to erect the buildings, and another committee, to report at the next meeting in February, candidates for professorships. As the result of this action, the so-called Vaughan lot, eigbty-six rods wide, and extending fi^jm the Eennebec to the Emerson stream, conbuning one hundred and seventy-nine acres, was pur- chased the following year of E. H. Gardiner, for the 'sum of seventeen hundred and ninety -seven dollars and fifty cents. The south line of this lot was not fer from where the Hemorial Hall now stands. But afterwards the college pur- chased of Professor Chapin, for tfle sum of twenty-five hun- dred dollars, the Professor Bri^s estate, lying immediately south of the original purchase, and extending southerly to the middle point of lot No, 106 of the Kennebec Purchase, aad running on that line— which is coincident with the south line of the lot on which my house stands — ih>m the Kennebec Elver nearly to the Emerson stream. And the other committee reported the names of the Rev. Jeremiah Chaplin, of Danvers, Mass., for Professor of Theology, and of the Eev. Irah Chase, of WestfoM, Tt., for Professor of Languages. These gentlemen were accordingly elected to the above-named Professorships, and it was provided that instruction in the Institution should commence the first of May following, i. e.. May, 1818. Mr. Chase — afl*rwards for many years Professor in New- ton Theological Institutiop^did not accept his Professorship, and consequently, the Literary Department in the Institu- tion was not opened till October of the following year, on the acceptance of the Professorship of Languages by the D.gitizecbyG00glc Bev. Aveiy Briggs. But Professor Chaplin, after considera- ble hesitaocy, * accepted hia appolatment, and appeared at Watervilte in the latter part of June, and took charge of the Theological Department. Indeed, he brought a lat^e part of hia school with him. At the time of his election he bad charge of the theological students supported by the Hassacbusetta Baptist Education Society ; and it was arranged that they should cume with him to Waterville. As the Insti- tution had as yet no buildings of its own, his school was opened in the so-called Wood House, which stood at the intersection of College and M^ streets, and in 1850 was enlarged into the Elmwood Hotel, and destroyed by flpe in 1864. Professor ChapUn and his school rem^ed at the Wood House till the completion of the old President's House — which occupied the position now occupied by the Uemorial Hall — at the close of the year 1819 or the begin- ning of 1630, and of the South College In 1831. When these buildings were put up the lot was wholly unimproved, and the forest was cut down to make room for them. In the mean time, Maine had become an independent State, and at the lirst meeting of its Legislature, in 1820, had granted the Institution collegiate powers, and, by a sub- sequent act, allowed it to assume the name of Watekvillg COLLEOE. It was now to be organized under this new char- acter. And first, a President must be chosen. After suitable inquiry, therefore, at the meetiilg of the Board in August, 1831, they unanimously elected to that office the Bev. Daniel H. Barnes, of New York. Mr. Barnes did not accept the appointment, but had he, would undoubtedly have been a valuable acquisition to the college. } Through the failure of this appointment, the office of President remained vacant till the meeting of the Boiml in ■ See Bote A. t See Note B. D.gitizecbyG00glc May, 1822, and instnicaon was given, as it had boea before, by Profeasora Chaplin and Bri(^. But immediately on their meeting, a committee was appointed to report during their aessioQ the name of a suitable candidate for the Presidency. In due tJme, therefore, this committee brought in their report, as follows: — "That they had given to the subject "committed to them their best attention, and had unani- " mously agreed to recommend Doctor Chaplin as the most "suitable ciindidate for the Presidency; and that the sum "for the President's salary be fixed at eight hundred dol- " lars, and the use of the house where he now lives." This report was accepted, and Doctor Chaplin was unanimously elected to the office of President of the College. Professor Briggs was continued in his office as Professor of Langui^s ; and at the annual meeting of the Board in August, follow- ing, the Rev. Stephen Chapin was elected Professor of Theol- ogy, with a salary of five hundred dollars. At this meeting, also, the Trustees conferred their first degrees — that of Bachelor of Arts on two students of the college, viz., Gfeorge Dana Boardman and Ephraim Tripp; and the honorary de- gree of Master of Arts on Mr. Samuel Wait, of the District of Columbia, Mr. Boardman Was also elected Tutor iu the college, and a new college building — what is now the North College — which had been authorized at the May meeting, was in process of erection, under a contract with Mr, Peter Getchell, who was to receive three thousand dollars for put- ting up the walls and fiimishiug the material for the same. Mr. Lemuel Dunbar was engaged in doing the wood -work. And I may here add, that these two gentlemen seem to have done a large part of the worlt on the first cofiege building; as indeed, later, in 1829, they built together for the college, the Academy—for which latter job {not includ- ing the finishing of the second story) they received the sum of seventeen hundred and fifty dollars. .yGoot^lc 8 The Academy was built as a feeder to the college, and when in good hadds has always proved an important aasll- iary — never more so than at preseat. Many a year it has fiirntshed a large proportion of the incoming college class, and besides, by its better teaching, has helped us to keep up the sttmdard of fitting for college. It were well if we had many more such feeders in other parts of the State- Tbe Academy was originally intrusted to the care of the Faculty and Treasurer of the college,, and remained under their direction till the annual meeting of the Tmst«e8 in 1841, when they voted to place it under the direction of a separate Board of Trustees, which was established by an act of the Legislature in February of the following year. But this Board having become disorganized, relinquished it« trust, and the corporation of the college, at their annual meeting in 1866, resumed the control of the Institution, which has since been greatly enlarged and fitted up, at an expense of forty-four hundred and sixty-three dollars, and received the new name of The Watbktillb Classical Irstitutb. About the time of the building'of the Academy, the col- lege established another auxiliary institution of quite a dif- ferent kind. Muscle was to he developed as well as brain. The band was to be made useflil while the mind was busy. Manual labor was to be joined to mental labor, and thus all the powers were to be exercised and strengthened. The object was a good one, If it could he carried out. Indeed, it was an idea which commended itself to the utilitarian Tankee mind, and quite popular at the time. As bodily exercise is confessedly essential to the clear and vigoroue action of the intellect, why not turn such exercise to a use- ful result? Why not exercise the body by work Instead of play 1 "Why not, in the necessary intermissions of study, do something towards earning a living hy wielding the saw or D.gitizecbyG00glc the plaoe, and thus iovigoi-ate the muscles and clear the head for future efforts, instead of speDdiDg those hours of int«rmissiou in useless antics in a gymnasium, or io equally useless sports on the green f It would be all work, to he sure — either work of the hand or of the mind — and there was that old adage that "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," which seemed to stand in the way; to say nothing of the danger of the boy neglecting his book while he could live by his saw. Still, the idea of living by the hand while sharpening the wits, was a pleasing one, and though discredited by certiun theoretical objections, must be tried in practice before it was abandoned. Accordingly, at the annual meeting of the Trustees, in August, 1827, we find the following vote on their recorde : "That it is expedient to have a convenient Mechanic's Shop " erected on the college lot, at which such students as are "disposed may employ themselves a small portion of the " day in such work as may yield them some profit." At the same time, the Prudential Committee of the college were charged with the duty of carrying this vote iutfl effect as soon as practicable, and to this end were authorized to em- ploy an agent to collect funds for the piupose. The agent employed by them was the Eev. Daniel Merrill, of Sedgwick, ■ a prominent member of the Board of Trustees, who had already, on many occasions, proved himself a Mthful and efficient agent in such matt«rs. The proposed shop was put up, chiefly by the hands of students of the college, in 1830, and was put in operation at the beginning of the following year, under the superintendence of Mr. D. N. B. Coffin. Subsequently two other shops, and two storehouses for lumber, were erected, chiefly by the labor of students, and other superintendents succeeded Mr. Coflan, till, in the spring of 1842 — twelve years after the opening of the first shop — the shops were abandoned and soon afi«r sold and removed D.gitizecbyG00glc 10 from the premises. Students were allowed so mucb an hour for their work, and were employed — according to their turn and genius, as we may suppose — iu the manufacture of dif- ferent articles, such as doors, blinds, sashes, hedsteads, tables, chairs, carriages, boxes, and even in printing. As a financial oi>eration, one may readily guess the result. The shops steadily ran the college in debt, till they bad absorbed not only the collections made by Mr. Merrill, but several thousands of dollars besides. So many young men, generally without experience in the use of tools, and by the action of a general principle of human nature, each disposed to appreciate his labor above its real value, and each pressing the superintendent for the highest possible allowance for it, could not, in the nature of the case, have been profitably employed- The judgment of the better portion of the Trustees had for many years been adverse to the longer coutjnuance of the Manual Labor Department, and accordingly, at their annual meeting in 1841, the work- shops were finally disposed of by the acceptance of the following report, presented by the Hon. Judah HcClellaa, of Skowhegan ; "That while the workshop fifatem waB B novelty, and the public opinioD warmly in its favor, manj joaag men were drawn feoia the industnal walks wbu attempted to work their way through college; and aome sncceeded. to their own Bdvaiitage as well M that of the pnblie. The workshops connected with this college were probably at first of aome adrantage to the college, in enticing stndcnta to come here ; but not in any proportion to the heavy eipenee incurred by the college In building and maintaining them : and are now, and for aome time past have been, a naeleaa monument of mi^ndged expenditure. The com- mittee deem it nseless to think of again putting the ahopa in operation. They recommend the reference of the subject to the Prndential Com- mittee, witb power to set), lease, or otherwise dispose of the workshops, inctnding stock and tools, as they shall think most for the advantage of the college — but in no case to involve the college in any more expense iu or about the concern." Da.zKwGoO'^k' 11 Wbether this experience throwa any U^t upon some recent theories in regard to the union of theoretical and practical education in certain- departments, I leave others to Judge. Certain it is, that no considerable number, at least, of those who worked in the shops during those twelve years, have turned out mechanics. And it may be doubted whether men who receive a real education in an Agricultural or Mechanical College, will in many cases remsdn practical, working farmers or mechanics. I think experience shows, that men whose wita have been thor- oughly sharpened, by whatever form of culture, generally contrive to live by their wits, and not by the hand. But aside from the lessons which it teught, there was, at least one usefiil result which sprung from the operation of the manual labor department. Besides the erection of the workshops, and the work which they performed in them, the students in 1833, as a part of their r^ular labor, put up the " steward's house," or " commons house," which still remains on the college premises. This was, at the time, a valuable addition to the public buildings of the college. There being but scanty accommodations for board in town, a steward's department was much more needed then than now. Besides, all colleges had such a department at that time. Previously to the erection of this building, all the accommodationa which the college possessed for this department were in the basement of the North College, which was divided between a Commons Hall and a Chapel. We are not surprised, there- fore, to find the Ti'ustees, at their annual meeting in 1831, approving the proposal to raise twenty thousand dollars, under the agency of the Eev. J. C. Morrill, for the purposes, among others, of procuring a steward's house and the erec- tion of a chapel. The steward's house, as we have seen, was provided during the following year, previous to the resignation of the presidency by Dr. Chaplin, in 1833. Some D.gitizecbyG00glc 12 BubscriptiODS, also, had been obtained for the chapel by Mr. MomU, and by the Eev. Otis Biiggs, who succeeded Mr. Morrill as agent for collecting funds, as he had loog been f^ent of the college In regard to the Argyle lands. But a chapel was not destined to be provided till 1836, the last year of the administration of Dr. Babcock, who succeeded Dr. Chaplin in the presidency. At the annual meeting of the Board in 1835, the following vote was passed : " That "the Trustees authorize the erection of a college edifice for "a chapel and other purposes, when sufficient funds Irom "penuanent scholarships shall be provided and secured for " that purpose." The central building, between the North and South Colleges, was accordingly begun during the fol- lowing year, and completed in 1837, for the sum of eight thousand dollars, Dr. Babcock having secured about QitU amount in scholarship subscriptions. Having now brought down the external history of the college to a time within the easy recollection of the present generation, let us return again to its b^niuDgs, in order to bring out more Ailly certain points in its internal histoiy. And, first, as to the origin of the Institution. Here we may sa; at once, and without any hesitation, that Colby University, as the legitimate successor of the Maine Literary and Theological Institution, is the child of l^e Baptists of Maine. Next to the Presbyterians and Congregationalists, the Baptists were the earliest oi^anized denomination of. any note m the country. And discarding in tiieir creed all traditional doctrines and usages, tbey everywhere cfune into conflict with the " Standing Order," and hence had to fight the battles of religious liberty. It was so in tUs State, as ia other parts of New En^and and most of the older States. Indeed, Maine being at that time a district of Massachusetts — a State in the early times but httle short of a Uieocraoy ::GoO'^lc IS in her form of govemment, proud and perBecating of all ■who differed from her in rellgioua views — was deeply im- bued with the same latolerant spirit. Hence, when a small Baptist Church, in 1681, was organized at Eittery, under the care of the Eev. Wm. Screven, it was pounced upon by the civil and ecclesiastical anthoiltiea, very mnch as a tiger pounces upon his prey, and scattered to the four winds before it had fairly got in operation. But opinions cannot be voted or persecuted down by m^orities. Tbe little church was scattered, but their views survived, and grad- ually organized themselves again in churches, first in the western part of the State, and then all tiirougb the State, carrying with them a "new Ught" wherever they spread, and waking from their torpid letbai^ the dominant eccle- siastical parly of the district. The first Baptist Association iu the district was formed at Bowdoinham, in 1787, embracing three churches, having an a^regate membership of one hundred and eighty-three members, viz.: the Thoraaston Church, with one hundred Mid three members, the Bowdoinham Church, with Aiirty members, and the Haipswell Church, with fl% members. This Association rapidly extended its borders, so that in 1800, thirteen years after its organization, it embraced thirty churches, with a membership but Uttle short of seventeen hundred. This, then, was the mother Association of the Baptist denomination in tbe State. And it was in this Asso- ciation that the Maine Literary and Theological Institution orighiated. At the meeting of the Association in Livermore, in 1810, we find the following record in their minutee: " It being in oontomplation to eEtablish an inatitntion in tlie Sietriot of Hune, for the pnrpoBS of promoting literary and theological knowl- edge, brethren Blood, Boardman, Iferrill, Titcomb Bnd Tripp were ^pointed a oomiaittee to take into consideTation tlM propriety M pethtoDing Qie QeBeTd Gout for IncerpoiBtion." DaitizecbyGoO'^lc And further on, in the proceedings of the sfime meefiDg, we find the followiog additional record: " The Committee appointed to oonsider the propriet7 of petJtioniog the General Court, relative to the eatabliabment of the Literniy and Theological Institation, suggested to the Association the propriety of appointing a committee to digost the subject systematically, in oouneo- tiou with hretbren from the Lincoln Association, and report thereon at the next annual meeUug. Eldera Blood, Low and Boardmau wera ohosen fur the above purpose." Three years after this, the Institution was chartered by the very nacae given it in this last record. We shall come to the same conclusion, if we consider the persons named as the first Board in the act of incorpo- ration. These were, Daniel Merrill, Caleb Blood, SylvaaoB Boardman, Thomas Green, Robert Low, BeigamiD Titeomb, Thomas Francis, Bansom Norton, Daniel UcIIasters, Hon. James CampbeU, Samuel Stinson, John Hovey, David Nelson, Alford Bichardson, John Haynes, Samuel Baker, Joseph Bat- ley, Phlneas Pillsbury, Hezeklah Prince, Moses Dennet, and John Neal. Daniel Merrill, formerly a Congregational min- ister, was at this time Pastor of the Baptist Church in Sedg- wicit, Caleb Blood was Pastor of the Federal Street Baptist Church in Portland, Sylvanus Boardman was Pastor of the Baptist Church at North Yarmouth, and Thomas Green had been a former Pastor of the same church, and was stall residing there, Bobert Low was Pastor of the Baptist Church in Beadfield, Betyamin Titcomb, Pastor of the Baptist Church in Bnmswick, Thomas Francis, Pastor of the Baptist Church in Leeds, Ransom Norton, Pastor of the Second Baptist Church in Livermore, Daniel McMaaters, Pastor of the Bap- tist Church in Sullivan, Samuel Stinson, Pastor of the Baptist Church in Woolwich, John Haynes, Pastor of the First Bap- tist Church in Livermore, Samuel Baker, associate Pastor of the Baptist Church in Thomaston, Joseph Bailey, Pastor of Co^ 15 aie Baptist Church of Balston, now Whitefield, Phineaa Klls- bury, Pastor of the Baptist Church ia Noblebortf. Of the other corporators, Alford Bichardson was a prominent mem- ber of the Federal Street Baptist Church of Portland, John Neal a member of the Second Baptist Church of Litchfield, Hoses Deunet a member of the Second Baptist Church in Bowdoin, John Hovey, a member of the Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon, David Nelson, a member of the Baptist Church in New Gloucester, the Hon, James Campbell, better known as Judge Campbell, a prominent member of the Pirst Bap- tist Church in ^Cherryfield, and Hezekiah Prince, a member of the Baptist Church in Thomaston. The corporators, therefore, were all Baptists of the Dis- trict of Maine — none of them were from what is now Massachusetts. MassachuseUs proper was not represented in the Board till the election of the Rev. Dr. Thomas Baldwin, of Boston, in 1815, and the Bev. Lucius Bolles, of Salem, in 1817. These were both very active and highly useful members . of the Boajd — the fortoer holding and honoring his office tilt his death, which took place In Waterville at the annual Commencement of the college in 1825, at the house of Professor Brigga. And his portrait, which now hangs in the Library, was presented to the college by his widow In 1827. Dr. Bolles retained his place on the Board till 1842, entering heartily into all the plans of the college, and rendering Imporii^it advice and pecuniary aid in fur- therance of them all. The presence of Doctor Chaptin here, first as Professor of Theology, and then as President of the college, had flxjm the beginning interested in the Institution some of the prominent men in Massachusetts, with whom he had formerly been associated, and this interest was greatly increased about the time .the Institution became a college, by the defection of President Messer, of Brown University, from the Baptist lalth. . They were thus led to D.gitizecbyG00glc 16 cherish this institutioti with a wanoer interest^ and if this Interest has at times waoed sioce then, and she has sent us less of her young men to educate, we have lately received coDvinciog evidence thait it still exists, in the fact, that of our recent endowment about one-half came firom Hassachusetta. The Institution, as we have seen, began as a Literary and Theological School. Those who established it were chie0y ministers of the Gospel, mostly without any regular theological training, and who therefore looked upon it chiefly as a school in which the futnre Pastors of the chnrehes were to be prepared for their work. With them the liter- ary department waa preliminary to, but eutii-ely subordinate to the theolt^cal department. What must have been their disappointment, then, when in less than three years after It had been set in operation, l^ its having become a college all this was reversed, and the literary department exalted above the theological, which was depressed more and more, till within a few years it was endrely crowded out of the Institution f I know not under whose counsels this was done, but it has always seemed to me a great mistake. Within those few years, a good many of the original Board had l^len out and new memlsers been introduced, and quite likely the ambition of having an institution of a higher grade may have bhuded the eyes of those who remained, to its consequences. The result was hastened also, undoubt- edly, by the fear that Brown University would be lost to the denomination, through the defection of President Messor, already alluded to. But however brought about, when it« etfecte became apparent, there was great dissatisfaction in a large portion of the denomination throughout the State, which some years later culminated in the establishment of an ephemeral Theological School at Thomaston, under the management of Professor (^Tin Newton. One consequence D.gitizecbyG00g|-C 17 of this disaGfectioii was, a general falling off of interest in the Institution amonj; its natural friends, and a certain coldness and indifference towards it, from which it has not fully recovered to the present day. Had the Institution retained its original and more popular form, tjll the affec- tions of the denomination had crystallized around it, and the denomination itself had withal grown up so as to de- mand a college, I can but think that its history would have been different. In that case, the numerous churches which had been estahhshed throughout the State would have been strengthened by the supply of pastors adapted to ttieir wants, and would have been ready, when at length it became a college, to rally around it with their affections and ^d. In reading the Kecords of the Board, more especially during the first twenty-five years of the existence of the Institution, one cannot but be impressed with the arduous- ness of their tasli, nor fiul to admire their patience and persistence, as well as the general harmony and unanimity of their counsels. These counsels were rarely disturtted by any serious divisions or misunderstandings. There was, however, one serious misunderstanding t>etween two prom- inent membeis of the Board, which caused a good deal of feeling and discussion at the time, and wtiich, perhaps, should not be wholly passed over even in a cursory his- torical view, like the present. Alford Richardson, of Port- land, better known as General Richardson, as we have seen, was one of the original corporators of the Institution; and William King — also known as General King, sad afterwards the first Governor of the State of Maine — being favorable to Baptist views, was chosen Trustee of the InsiatuUon at the second meeting of the Board, in September, 1813. The Institution t>eing poor, and having received from the State but the meagerest endowment, had occasion to petition the D.gitizecbyG00glc 18 Legislature for aid. Tlie petition of the Trustees was pre- seut«d at the Spriog sessioD of the Legislature in 1818, aud a Circular Petition — which by a vote of the Trustees at an earlier meeting ia February of the same year, had been authorized and circulated among the Baptists of the State for their signature — was presented at the Winter session nest ensuing. At the meeting of the Board of Trustees in May following, on recommendation of a coounlttee ap- jxiinted " to take into consideration the situation of the "applications which have been made to the Legislature for "aid," the Hon. William King, and the Hon. Mark Harris were appointed " to take such measures as they should " think proper to obtain the prayer of said petitions." At the next meeting of the Legislature, accordingly, Mr. King brought the matter before that body, and had procured a bill from a committee, providing a very handsome endow- ment for the Institution, with apparently a very good pros- pect of getting it through. At this point he was met by a statement from Mr. Bichardson, that the Circular Petitions had been presented without the authority and consent of the Trustees. The bill of course waa defeated, and its defeat waa ascribed to this adverse statement of Mr. Rich- ardson. That the preparing and circulation of petitions in some form were authorized by the Trustees, is evident from their records, and I do not see how it could have been denied by either party. The presentation of these particular petitions, it is true, does not seem to have been expressly provided for, but why were such petitions to the Legisla- ture authorized at all, if they were not to be presented t and why should a friend of the Institution, as Mr. Bichard- son undoubtedly was, throw any obstacle in the way of their success on this technical ground? These are ques- tions difficult to answer. As the gentiemen, I believe, belonged to different political parties, possibly pohtical ;cbyG00^;' 19 rivalry had something to do with it. At this distance from the time of the occurrence, however, I do not wish to express a very decided opinion in the case, but am willing to leave it as finally at^usted in the report of a commits tee of the Trustees in 1820, which I here transfer to mf pages: " In the meeting held in Branswick, in 1818, after having agreed to petition the Legislature of Uaiisachiwette fbr aid to the Mune Lit- erary and Theological laHtitution, it was nndetstood by members preeent, in case the application to the said. Legislatnre ehould be nnsQCcessftal at the Spring BesBion, that, before the Winter aesBton nest ensoing, a Circular Petition should be got np aud distributed among the Baptist Churches thronghout the State, to obtain the signature of their mem- bets and others, in concnrrence with the petition of the Boiird. That, in pursuance of this understanding, several copies of a Ciroular Petition were presented to the Board at thrar meeting at Waterville in Angost, 1818, at which time the said petition passed under discussion, and as but one gentleuan manifested any objection to their acceptance and distribntjon, it was tacitly nnderstood that they were accepted, and were in consequence distribated by members of the Board and others to whose charge they were oommitted. All this being the result of con- ference and what was supposed to be matter of mntod anderstanding, and not of formal resolve, was not recorded. This cironmstance, in the opinion of your committee, has given rise to different and conflicting views between two distingnisbed members of the Board. On the one hand, Oovemor King, embracing what he conceived to be the under- stancUng of the Board, afflrmed that tie s^d Circnlara did originate and cironlate by their consent and authority; while on the otber part, General Biohardson, governing bimsielf, it is conceived, by what appeared on the Records of the Board, said the Ciicolars were gotten up and circulated without tbeii knowledge or consent" Leaving now tiiis point, I may pass by a natural transi- tion to say a few words in regard to what the State has done towards the endowment of the Institution. Bowdoin College having been Uberally aided by the State — having received eight townships of land and eighteen thousand doUitts in money from Massachusetts, and in all some flfty- DaitizecbyGoO'^lc 20 four tbousand dollars, besides considersble laod, from this State — it was natural for this Institution to expect similar liberality. Bat in this it was destined to be disappointed. Our Institution, as we have seen, received a single township of land from Maasadiusetts, and a few years ago it received two half townships of land frooi this State. Besides this, for the first seven years aA»r it was chartered as a college, the State granted it an annuity of one thousand dollars a year, and subsequently other annuities — making in all, f(mr- teen thousand five hundred dollars. This is the sum of the benefactions of the State. But, in the mean thne, private individuats have come to its rescue, and by the favor of a kind Providence, generous Mends have of late been raised up who have supplied it with a fund which has every prospect of being permanent. And, as pertinent to this question of endowment, I may here add, that the Institutaon has never courted popular tsivor by popular arts. Had it, it might, perhaps, have secured a larger patronage and larger contributions to its fiinds. From the beghming it has studiously eschewed all claptrap and fixiwned upon all shams. It has aimed to give a solid rather than a showy education. Its general tone upon this sultject haa always been high and conservative — l^voring sound knowledge and sound morals, strenuously endeavoring to keep up the standard instead of depressing it In this it has fiiitlifully reflected the character of its Faculty of infitmction, who, fixim the earhest times, have been men of high character and sound att^nments, disdain-- ing to stoop to any low arts. As a consequence, the infiu- ence of the Institution has always been wholesome and elevating. It has educated many able teachers and pro- fessional men, who have contributed largely to the elevation of the public mteUigence, virtue and respectabiUty, not only of our own, but of other States. D.gitizecbyG00glc 21 And now, looking back over the history of the Institu- tion for these fifty years, while its public servants generally seem to have been fejthfiil and efficient, there are a few who seem to me to deserve especial mention, on account of the importance of the service which they rendered the college. I shall speak only of the dead — let another gen- eration speak of those still Uving. And I name first in this list, as being not only first in order, but in importance, also, the Eev. Doctor Chaplin, the first President of the college. The work before him was great and arduous, for which, however, by his talents, his attainments, and above all, by his steadiness of purpose, he was admirably fitted. To start a college in a new State, such as Haine was then, and especially a college without an endowment, as this was, is no slight task. In such a community, there is neither the proper appreciation of a collie education, nor the men to educate in any consider- able numbers, nor the means to pay for such an education. These indispensable conditions of success have all to be created. And few are aware of the self-denial, the patience, and the persistence re4;uired in such a case, in order to sustain a collie during its novitiate. These qualities seem to have been possessed in an eminent degree by Dr. Chaplin. With a suigular indifference to everything like ease or worldly aggrandizement, he pursued his purpose with a calm persistence, which never faltered nor flagged amidst the most formidable difficulties. During all the thirteen years of his connection with the college, it was the subject of his labors and his prayers by night and by day, in term time and in vacation. How often do we find on the records of the Trustees votes hke the foUowmg: "Voted " that the President be im agent for procuring funds for "the college during the ensuing vacation." And in obedi- ence to such votes, he went forth into all parts of this and D.gitizecbyG00glc the neighboriog States, awakening an interest, and gather- ing up contributions and students for the college. By his disinterested and abounding labors for the college, Dr, Chap- lin establislied a claim for the lasting remembrance and gratitude of all its Iriends. • There are several Trustees, also, who deserve to be men- tioned on account of their distinguished service to the college. Honorable mention has already been made of Doctors Baldwin and Bolles, and the Bev. Daniel MernlL This latter gentleman, as we have seen, was one of the orginal corporators of the Institution, and he remained a Trustee through all Its vicissitudes till the year 1833, the sixty -eighth year of his age. During all this period he was rarely absent from any meeting of the Board, and always active and efficient when present. Besides raisii^ the fimds for the Manual Labor Department, already referred tfl, he was frequently engaged in raising funds for the gen- eral purposes of the- Institution, and generally with good success. On the whole, perhaps there was no more useflil Trustee on the Board. There is one other name which I cannot reihun from mentioning here, although not found in the list of the Trustees after the Institution became a college — that of the Eev, William Bachelder. Mr. Bachelder became a mem- ber of the Board in January, 1817, and entered at once, with his characteristic ai-dor, into all their counsels and labors. Though at this time Pastor of the Baptist Church in Haverhill, Mass., he had formerly been Pastor of the Church in Berwick, and had preached with wonderful effect ip all the western part of this State and the borders of New Hampshire. He immediately entered this field, there- fore, for the college, and in the Winter of 1818, while D.gitizecbyG00glc traversing it for this purpose, took a severe cold, from the effects of which he (lied the following Spring. Mr. Bach- elder was a man of fine genius, and of a remarkably sancti- fied and winning Christian character. His loss was severely felt, and the Trustees showed their sense of it by an appreciative letter of condolence to his widow. Of the lay members of the Board, among many excel- lent men, I may be allowed to name one as preeminent for his valuable services to the college — the Hon. Timothy Boutelle. Mr. Bout«lle became a member of the Board in 1818, the very year that the Institution went into operation, aod before it had become a college, and was immediately elected Treasurer, that office being vacant by the resigna- tion of Ebenezer Delano the year before. Mr. Boutelle ret^ned the office of Treasurer, performing its duties gra- tuitously, till the annual Commencement in 1830. On his resignation of the office, the Trustees showed their appre- ciation of his services by the following vote ; " Voted, that " the Trustees of this college entertain a high sense of the "accurate, prompt, gratuitous, and very valuable services of "the Hon. Timothy Boutelle as Treasurer of this College, " and that the thanks of this Board be presented to him for " such services." Mr. Boutelle retained his seat In the Board till his death, in 1855. During these many years, living as he did in Waterviile, and being an able lawyer, and a rapid and accurate business man, he was constantly consulted by the Faculty and agents of the college, and performed a vast amount of labor for it. He showed himself a true Mend of the Institution to the end, ever ready to aid It, not only by his counsels, but by his contributions, in all its times of need. Thus much concerning the history of the college which has ah^ady transpired. Its future history I shall not pre- sume to predict. We have reason, however, to hope, that D.gitizecbyG00glc having struggled up to its preseot position through many difficulties, and having now become respectable on account of lis age and means, its fliture course mU be more assured and progressive than it has been in the past. This, how- ever, will depend very much upon its management, both intern^ and estemal. Perhaps we may say now, at the end of fifty years, that the college is f.iirly founded. It has funds enough — which it never had before — to sustain it on its present scale of operations, without drawing upon the principal. And being self-sustaining, it has the appear- ance of permanence. We want, however, not only perma- nence, but ' progress. To stand still in such an age and country as this, is tantamount to going backwards. Every- thing else is moving, and unless we move we must i^l behind. Just here has been our fiiult heretofore. Previously to our recent movement, no improvements whatever had been made upon the premises, no additional teachers had been employed, and no considerable additions had been made to the library or apparatus of the Institution, for about thirty years. In the mean time, other Institutions were making improvements, and leaving us behind. Nay, this want of stir seemed to imply that we had gone to Bleep, or were about giving up the ghost. Hence we lost something of our prestige and patronage, which we have not yet been able fully to recover. But I am confident that it will return In due time, if we continue to make improvements as we have for a few years past. Of all things, stagnation is the most to be dreaded in a college. Being buoyant and hopeful, the young like to see things moving around them. If, then, gentlemen. Trustees, Alumni, and other Mends, you would have the college prosper, give us the means of making improvements every year. Do not imagine that you have nothing more to do for it. While you see that those Goo«;le 25 who have the maDagemeDt of its iatemal alEiura do tbeir duty, ever be ready to do yours. Answer all ita reasonable calls with a cheerfid heart and a ready hand. Take pains to direct students hither. Bally around the college, and make it an honor to yourselves and the State, We bear the name of a University, and it is in your power to make the Institution such in reaUty. We need immediately an additional building for a Cabinet and Laboratory, • We ought, also, to have a foundation for a Scientific Depart- ment. There is a growing demand for instruction in the application of the sciences to the various arts of life. Who will lead off in estabUshing such a foundation f I know of no greater service which one could do the Institution, than to found two or three Professorships in the practical sci- ences. This would form a nucleus which would soon be developed into a highly useful and popular department. Standing now, as we do, at the middle point of the first century of the existence of the Institution, whether we look backward or forward, have we not reason to thank God and take courage I The College has been useful, the University, I have no doubt, is destined to a still higher usefulness. The fouudationa ai-e already laid, and well laid, and the superstructure, I am confident, will gradually rise in fitting beauty and proportions. It will have a history to be recounted, I have no doubt, at the close of another half century. And as the centuries roll on, chapter after chapter ' will have to be added to this history, till some future gen- eration, looking back over its whole course, and estimatiDg the influence which has gone forth from, it to bless the world, will come to realize, if we do not now, how great a boon to a community is a Christian institutiOD of learning, estab- D.gitizecbyG00glc lisbed and sustained and nurtured up to a bigh purpose, by the prayers, the labors and the contributions of the wise and the good. D.gitizecbyG0t>:^k (A.) PE0FE3S0E CHAPLIN'S ACCEPTANCE OP HIS OFFICE. On the first applioatbn of the committee appointed to inform Pro- fessor Cbaplin of bis election to tbe Chur of Theology, he declined quite decidedly. Among the reaaone which he osaigned fur so doing was " ill health," one effect of which, as he states, iras, that " it " lre